With history on the line, it was Team USA's time to shine. The scene was Rockford, Illinois, home of the 2019 ITTF North American Olympic Qualification. As the name suggests, places in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were at stake. Teams from the US and Canada converged at the BMO Harris Bank Center in downtown Rockford, as visions of Olympic medals danced in their heads. First up were the women's teams. Team Canada was dealt a crushing blow by the absence of their ace Mo Zhang, a late scratch with a shoulder injury. This left Canada's hopes on the shoulders of a trio of teenagers: Sophie Gauthier, Benita Zhou and Isabelle Xiong, all 16 years of age. Team USA was at full force with Wu Yue, Lily Zhang and Liu Juan at the ready. All that they were unable to do was generate any real drama, sweeping each match en route to posting a ruthless 3-0 scoreline over their neighbors to the north. "We came in with a lot of confidence in our team and our preparations to bring our best to the table here in Rockford, and its been an honor for us to deliver this result in front of home supporters," said Lily Zhang. "I’m looking forward to working towards the next step now with this opportunity to compete in another Olympic Games." The USA men's team was comparably efficient, if only slightly less crushing. The American lineup of Kanak Jha, Zhou Xin and Nikhil Kumar dropped a few games along the way, with Kanak Jha even trailing Canada's Jeremy Hazin 2-1 in games before righting the ship. Hazin's teammates Eugene Wang and Hongtao Chen also failed to muster the requisite resistance, as the USA men secured their tickets to Tokyo with a 3-0 decision. "It was an exciting opportunity to compete in my first North American Olympic trial," said Nikhil Kumar. "I was happy to contribute to the team result with the opening doubles and help us book our spot for Tokyo 2020." As Team USA shared their victory with the delighted home crowd, the visiting Canadians were left to wonder what might have been. Regardless of the immutable past, both teams' attention now turns to the unfixed fortune found in the future.

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